‘Deserve’s’ got nothin’ to do with it

“I feel I deserve $15 an hour,” said Linda Archer, 59 a McDonalds cashier. “I work very hard.” Archer currently earns $8 an hour and averages 24 hours a week.

From Unforgiven:

Having spent my teenage years as a McDonald’s employee, I feel some measure of sympathy for Ms. Archer.* But the simple fact of the matter is that it would be economic suicide for McDonald’s to pay entry-level employees $15 an hour and disastrous for the employees such a policy is meant to help. There’s no surer way to institute a death spiral for the shop: Prices would skyrocket and staff would be slashed, meaning people would be paying more for crappier service. So customers would stop going, leading to further staff reductions and, before you know it, the restaurant is out of business. Pretty basic economics.

*Although I have less than you might think. Fast food is the sort of industry where if you show even a modicum of competence/dedication to your job you’ll quickly rise the ranks within the store.

RE: “modicum of competence/dedication ” — at one of my post college jobs , I cannot remember how many times I was offered promotions and told I was “management material” simply by showing up on time, giving advance notice if I needed to call in, and just “doing my job”.

To be fair, I’m in a professional government job firmly in the middle class, and I’m both shocked and appalled at how little effort and proficiency is needed to be considered a great employee. Meaning, yes, career government jobs have expectations similar to those of entry level service jobs. Awesome.